Coaster and bottle-opener.



E. A. PARKER.

COASTER AND BOTTLE OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1909.

937,850, Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

INVENTOR WQKM ATTORNEY UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND A. PARKER, or MERIDEN, oomvnc rrcur, nssreivon or ONE-HALF T0 JAMES w. DAVIS AND onn-srxrn 'ro CHARLES H. cox; or MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

- GOASTER AND BOTTLE-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26,1909.

Application filed August 19, 1909. Serial No. 513,644.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, EDMUND A. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Coasters and Bottle-Openers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to pro- 'vide a metallic coaster which shall be neat and attractive inappearance, practically unbreakable under the ordinary conditions of use, inexpensive to produce and so formed as to adapt it for use as a bottle opener, that is for removing crown stoppers from bottles .in which lager beer, .ous soft drinks are p It is of'course wellunderstood that it is ginger ale and the variaced for retailing.

common in dispensing beverages, whether served upon hard wood. tables or upon a tablecloth, to provide trays or coasters upon which the bottles are placed after being opened. These trays or coasters have been variously made of metal, -wood, glass and earthenware and of combinations of these materials but without-regard to the material have never been provided, so far as I am aware, with means, forming part of the coaster itself, which adapted it to serve additionally as a bottle opener or stopper remover.

' It is of course well understood that bottle openers are easily lost and are frequently not to be found when wanted. Coasters, on the other hand, are not liable to get lost and each coaster, by my present invention, is also-made a bottle opener.

In order to accomplish the desired result I have devised the novel combined coaster and bottle opener which I will'now describe, referring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and using reference characters to indicate the several parts.

Figure -1 is an elevation showing the coaster in use with a bottle thereon, the stopper not having been removed; Fig. 2 a plan view of an all-metal coaster; Fig. 3 a view partly in section and partly in elevation illustrating the use of the device as a bottle opener; and Fig. 4 is a cross section on a larger scale illustrating a form of combined coaster and bottle opener in which the some ornamental material ascentral portion of the bottom is made of pressed or cut glass or earthenware.

then securely locked in ter 10 denotes my novel coaster as a whole, the essential features of which are a bottom 11,. a side flange 12 and an inwardly curved opening flange 13 which is formed integral with the side flange. Theopening flange is shown as curved over inward and downward so that any portion of the edge thereof will form a catch, as at 13 in Fig. 3, toengage under the edge of a crown stopper. This flange also adds greatly to the strength of the device as a whole. The device is preferably additionally strengthened by forming an inwardly projecting curved rib 14 in the bottom thereof. -When used as a bottle opener this rib serves as a rest or fulcrum which' rests upon the top of the stopper and, when the edge of the opening flange is engaged with the edge of a stopper and pressure isapplied totheouter edge of the bottom, pries the stopper upward and disengages it from the neck of the bottle, the leverage being so great that any stopper may be remove no matter how tightly it may have been set in place.

15 denotes a bottle and 16 a crown stopper thereon. 1

In the form illustrated in Fig. 4, in the operation of forming, the central portion of the disk of metal is removed and an ornamental center, indicated by 17, is secured in the opening; This ornamental center may be.

secured in place in] any ordinary or preferred manner. .For example, a circular rib 18 may be pressed inward from the metal forming the inner side of rib 14. against .which the edge of the upper side of the ornamental center may rest. The center is lace by closing a flan e of the metal under it as at .19, the ceneing clamped between rib 18 and the flange, as is clearlyshown in Fig. 4.

The operation will be readily understood from the drawing. V In performing its ordinary function as a coaster, the device rests upon its bottom on a table or other suitable support and carries the bottle, as in Fig. 1, the side and opening flanges preventing possible overflow or drip from the bottle get-. ting upon the table and wetting the table or cloth. To remove a stopper, the device is inverted, the edge of the opening flange is caught under the edge of the stopper with the fulcrum rib or rest bearing upon the top of the stopper. Pressure is then applled to the outer edge of the bottom and the stopper is instantly pried loose from the neck of the bottle and may be thrown oif by the device without touching'the stop er, with the hand and without the slightest anger of injuring the hand of the operator.

In practice, when used as an opener the device is not likely to sli ofi as the o ening comprising a circular body provided with a side flange the edge of which is turned over" to form anopening lip, said body being provided with an annular depression forming a fulcrum rib.

2. A combined coaster and bottle opener comprising a circular body rovided with a side flange the edge of whic is turned over to form an opening lip, said body being provided with a fulcrum r1b.

' 3. A combined coaster and bottle opener comprising a circular body provided with a sidefflangethe edge of which is turned over to form an opening lip, said body being provided with a fulcrum rib, and a center piece held in position by said rib.

4. ,A1 combined coaster and bottle opener comprising a circular body provided witha side flange the edge of which is turned over to form an opening lip, said body being provided with afulcrum rib havmg flanges, anda center piece secured in position by said flanges. 7

In testimony whereof I .afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' EDMUND A. PARKER. Witnesses:

L. C. PARDEE,

Corns. 

